No. 5 Bulldogs ‘Spurriered’ by No. 6 South Carolina, 35-7 (UPDATED)
Georgia coach Mark Richt (R) congratulates South Carolina's Steve Spurrier on the Gamecocks' third win in a row over the Bulldogs. They're now 4-4 against each other. (AJC photo by Bob Andres)
COLUMBIA, S.C. — It’s starting to look like Steve Spurrier is going to be just as frustrating for Georgia at South Carolina as he was at Florida.
The Ol’ Ball Coach had his No. 6 Gamecocks clicking on all cylinders Saturday night against the No. 5 Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium. In the most-hyped game in the history of this series, South Carolina jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back en route to a 35-7 victory.
The win was the Gamecocks’ third in a row over Georgia — the first time in the 118-year history of the rivalry they’ve done that — and makes Spurrier 15-5 as a coach against the Bulldogs. He was 11-1 as the Gators’ coach and 4-4 since he’s been at South Carolina. Including his stints in the NFL and USFL, it was Spurrier’s 250th career victory.
“Having it against the Georgia Bulldogs was special,” said Spurrier, who was 1-2 against Georgia as a Florida quarterback. “They are a team that used to beat my alma mater pretty well. I have been very fortunate against a coach as them, not so much as a player, but as coach, so that was special.”
The loss was kind of a double-whammy for the Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1) because Florida also scored a big 14-6 win over LSU Saturday in Gainesville. Georgia will need to the Gamecocks to drop two games and then have to beat what could be a Top 5 Florida team to return to the Georgia Dome as Eastern Division champions.
South Carolina (6-0, 3-0) plays on the road at LSU and Florida the next two weeks.
Georgia falls to 3-5 in top 10 matchups under coach Mark Richt and 3-10 when the ESPN College GameDay crew happens to be in attendance. The last time the Bulldogs won one of these marquee games was against Hawaii in Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008.
The Bulldogs will try to regroup during next week’s off week. They’ll resume play at Kentucky (1-5, 0-3) on Oct. 20.
“Tonight we weren’t very good,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “But the world didn’t end. We’ve still got a lot of things to play for and a lot of good things can still happen.”
The Bulldogs had boldly stated that their goal this year was to reach Miami and to play for the BCS championship. How, then, Richt was asked, can they be expected to rebound from such humiliating loss?
“They’ll be fine,” Richt said. “They’re supposed to dream big; I want them to dream big. They’re good men and they’re going to fight. They’ll come back together and win again.”
The Gamecocks’ offensive charge was led by Georgia native Connor Shaw. The junior quarterback from Flowery Branch who’s best known for his running ability,gashed the Bulldogs’ defense with arm as well. He finished with 162 yards on just six completions – an average of 27 yards per – and threw for two touchdowns. Shaw also had 78 yards rushing and scored an in-your-face touchdown on a 7-yard run with 6:17 remaining in the game.
“He was pretty much reading me,” said Georgia’s All-American outside linebacker Jarvis Jones. “If I got up field he was going to take off running. . . . He’s a good player. He made plays with his feet and he was fast, faster than I thought he was.”
South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore had yet another 100-yard game against Georgia. The junior from Duncan, S.C., had 109 on 24 carries and a touchdown, giving him 467 yards and 4 TDs in three games against the Bulldogs.
The Gamecocks finished with 392 yards against Georgia’s once-vaunted defense. After finishing fifth in the nation last season in total defense, the Bulldogs entered Saturday’s game 55th. They will drop again this week
“I don’t think that team is 35 points better than us, or whatever it was,” UGA senior cornerback Sanders Commings said. “We just made too many mistakes tonight; gave up some big plays, had some penalties, turnovers. You can’t win games like that.”
The most impressive part of South Carolina’s victory had nothing to do with Spurrier’s famous “ball plays.” It was defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward’s unit had Carolina on the verge of shutting out the Bulldogs for the first time since they lost to Alabama 31-0 in 1995. Georgia came in leading the SEC in scoring (48.2 ppg) and yards (536 ypg). The Bulldogs hadn’t scored fewer than 41 points in a game all season.
It was a tough night for quarterback Aaron Murray, who came in with the knock of having never beaten a ranked team on the road. Harassed all night by the Gamecocks’ rangy defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor, he completed just 11-of-31 passes for 109 yards and threw an interception. The Bulldogs, who finished with just 220 total yards, scored a meaningless touchdown in the game’s final three minutes with South Carolina’s victory well in hand.
“Very talented defense all over the board,” Murray said of South Carolina’s defense. “They’re up there with the best I’ve ever played. They’re definitely one of the top ones.”
This one was over quick South Carolina shot out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter on two long drives and a punt return for a touchdown.
The game could not have started any worse for Georgia. The Bulldogs won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving the Gamecocks the ball to start the game.
South Carolina wasted no time doing something with it. Gaining 62 yards on two pass plays, the Gamecocks covered 76 yards in 2:32 and scored on a 20-yard pass from Shaw to Bruce Ellington. On both passes South Carolina receivers for behind safety Bacarri Rambo.
The Bulldogs got a 48-yard kickoff return from Malcolm Mitchell and seemed poised to answer after a 15-yard run by Todd Gurley got the Bulldogs down to the South Carolina 34. But after a failed reverse, Murray’s pass was batted up in the air at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles and intercepted by a diving DeVonte Holloman.
South Carolina made the Bulldogs pay. Utilizing Lattimore in both the running and passing games, the Gamecocks again drove the field. Shaw threw his second touchdown of the night, a 19-yard strike to wide open tight end Rory Anderson. And just like that, the South Carolina led 14-0 with 6:29 still left in the first quarter.
Georgia had to punt after its ensuing possession, and that’s when the Gamecocks turned it into a nightmare night. After bobbling the catch, Ace Sanders recovered and returned the punt 70 yards for a touchdown. It was Sanders’ second punt-return TD this season and it put South Carolina ahead 21-0.
“It stinks,” Murray said of the lopsided defeat. “It definitely hurts a lot. We put a lot into this game. It definitely means a lot. But there’s still a lot of games to play. They’ve got a lot of tough games left and so do we. Right now they’re in the driver’s seat and we have to win every single game to make it to Atlanta. We’ve got to grind and work and we did that last year. But it’s not a good feeling.”
MORE GEORGIA-SOUTH CAROLINA COVERAGE
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
920 comments Add your comment
The Central Scrutinizer
October 7th, 2012
9:22 am
Man, you people sound like the Tech people…oh, our season is over! GIVE ME A FREAKING BREAK!! We walked into a slaughter house and got our rear end handed to us, bottom line. I don’t think Alabama could have won the way SC was playing. They were geeked up, ready to play and wanted it more. That defensive line is unbelieveable and because of that, nothing else mattered. We were sleep walking through the whole 1st quarter, after that it was done. We didn’t give it away like last year, they took it…Yeah, Spurrier is a first class jerk, but what can you say about that team. It was a clinic. Hopefully we can bounce back. Every one in Athens needs to pick their heads up and get it together. I still think we can take Florida.
Crackigga
October 7th, 2012
9:22 am
If you guys can’t figure out that the state of Georgia is cursed, I don’t know what to tell you.
USMC
October 7th, 2012
9:23 am
Dawgs got MAN HANDLED by a better team and a better COACH.
Does anyone else notice that Georgia’s Defense is always late getting to their positions BEFORE the ball is snapped? That falls purely on the coaches and the lack of discipline.
You can hate Spurrier all you want, but he is far and away a better coach than CMR will EVER be.
CMR=nice man, mid tier Head coach
Get Bobby Petrino! I don’t care. The man can flat out coach!
wob
October 7th, 2012
9:25 am
gurshall?
More like marley – ’cause they got stoned all night…
USMC
October 7th, 2012
9:27 am
The Georgia Bulldog players lack any resemblance of discipline, which is a direct reflection on the coaches lack of leadership, plain and simple.
Kent Dorfman
October 7th, 2012
9:27 am
Oh boy is this GREAT!!!
Bethlehem Fan
October 7th, 2012
9:27 am
This is a tough Division. We will come back. I live to see the DAWGS every weekend and hate this loosing crap. But I will still take 5-1 over last years start. We need to appreciate what we have. Yes, I am very disappointed and almost heart-broken, but it needs to be placed in context. We still have a few games left to play. A good win over Tech would help too.
arthur house
October 7th, 2012
9:28 am
Richt has to go. Cant win the big games \. Any big games. Outcoached all the time. Last year was pure luck. Easy shedule and S>C. tripped up. this year we will lose to Forida and any other team that really comes to play. Our defense was supposed to be very good. It stinks. offensive cant play with the big boys. Get a coach who can coach players up not down. Get a coach who can instill discipline in players. Losing to Spurrier at Florida sucked. losing to him at South Carolina is downright godawful. Still love the DAWGs!
Kent Dorfman...legacy from Harrisburg
October 7th, 2012
9:28 am
May I have 10,000 marbles please?
Woofy One
October 7th, 2012
9:29 am
We played poorly against a team that was definitely better prepared and better coached. Hats off to the Gamecocks. Now we need to go back and light our fires to finish this season and play far better than this.
Reality
October 7th, 2012
9:30 am
“Georgia gets all these great players. I just don’t understand what happens to them when they get there.” Steve Spurrier on UGA’s ability to recruit 5 star players year after year.
Here’s the dish UGA Scouts. Why did Boise State who has a line up of 2 and 3 star players beat you’re “Dream Team” of 5 Stars……2 and 3 star players KNOW how to play as a team. 5 star players believe THEY are the team and want the spot light for themselves. They don’t know what TEAM means.
Reality
October 7th, 2012
9:31 am
This is why South Carolina will OWN you guys from here on while Spurrier is their coach and Richt is yours.
BamaDan
October 7th, 2012
9:32 am
Here’s the great thing about Georgia and their fans. They have this perception of of superiority. They really believe that they are an elite program…on par with Alabama, USC, Notre Dame, etc. A lot of their fans are elitist Atlanta snobs, so that plays into the mentality as well. In reality, they are one of the most underachieving programs in history. UGA has always had elite talent, even when Ray Goff was there, but they can’t put it together. They have one NC on the back of probably the greatest college RB who ever suited up. They really have more in common with the Clemson’s of the world, than Alabama or USC. What’s great is that they whip themselves into a frenzy every August and September, only to be brought crashing back to reality in October. It used to drive me crazy, but now I just sit back and wait for that crash, then sun myself in the warmth of their anger and bitterness.
Thank you Steve Spurrier…again.
USMC
October 7th, 2012
9:34 am
This game reminded me of the WHOOPING Georgia took from Alabama in 2008.
The pregame warm up of that Bama game in 2008 fore-told the outcome of the game:
On one half of the Field at Sanford Stadium, you had the Georgia players, Stafford & Moreno, and company, practicing their “Chest Bumps” without helmets on and walking around as though they had just won the BCS NC game.
On the other half of the field, Saban had his team diligently running through plays with their helmets strapped and in full discipline mode.
Outcome of the game: Georgia got SMOKED by a better coached and more disciplined team.
Last night’s game looked eerily the same. Georgia needs a new Head corch.
CMR
October 7th, 2012
9:34 am
I keep setting my DVR to record “the biggest loser”, but it keeps recording the Georgia Bulldogs games.
Andy
October 7th, 2012
9:35 am
Year after year, UGA proves to a national audience that they can’t play on a national level.
clem
October 7th, 2012
9:36 am
what do you expect from a school within paul broun’s district?
Dream team was Gamecocks, not Bulldogs
October 7th, 2012
9:36 am
Our defensive coach is a loud-mouth, big hat and no cattle guy. Tennessee put up points like a pinball machine. I mean really? Tennessee? That should have told us there were holes everywhere. And CMR said after the game that losing by 1 or 28 still just means a loss. Really? How about anl embarrassment on national TV where they list the suspended players for UGA? Spurrier was right, play UGA early when their suspended players are around. Didn’t have to this time. Tired of all the “dream team” bullsh*t.
Deepdiver
October 7th, 2012
9:37 am
Georgia made a bad mistake giving an extension to Mark Richt. He is a good, but not great coach. The plays poorly in big games. I don’t care if the team finishes with 2 losses. We play so many mediocre teams, that record doesn’t mean anything. Auburn is way down this year. Tennessee is still trying to get back to where it was. Tech? I don’t think so. Georgia will probably also lose to Florida, which means losses in the only two really meaningful games this season.
Andy
October 7th, 2012
9:40 am
Steve Spurrier owns vacation property in Mark Richt’s head….just like UF does.
beanster
October 7th, 2012
9:41 am
Dear A.P. Sportswriters,
The Bulldawg Nation asks a big favor of you and that is from this point forward to please never, under any circumstances, no matter how many 5 star returning players, no matter the statistics from the previous year, no matter the score differential against cupcakes and lower tier teams, please do not ever rank our Georgia Bulldogs in the top ten and please be sure they are a certain top 25 team before bestowing that honor to them. UGA has no business being mentioned in the former and should be considered questionable in the latter. It would save the Bulldawg Nation a lot of heartbreak and embarrassment. Thanks.
Cobb Dawg
October 7th, 2012
9:41 am
We can bring ‘em in, but we can’t coach ‘em up. One of the most embarrassing losses ever. This team was not prepared to play USCe. CMR should take a hard look at himself and his staff. Pitiful!
Katman
October 7th, 2012
9:41 am
CMR says…….”they’ll be fine”. If you had his contract, esp. the recent extension, he is actually saying ” I wll be fine as they continue to pay me BIG for this continued PATHETIC leadership that I exhibit”.
Here is the fact: Mark Richt is the best second tier coach of the SEC East !!
UGA and their clueless fans now have to cross their fingers and HOPE that South Carolina loses two SEC games and they beat Florida – none of which is going to happen!!
kingdaddy
October 7th, 2012
9:44 am
Thank you Coach Richt. A loss to THE EVIL GRINNING ONE is not the worst thing that could happen to a team. A loss because you were “totally whipped” in all aspects of the game is SICKENING! You did more damage to our team with this horrible excuse of a football game than a “train-wreck” on I-285 at rush, can screw-up Atlanta Traffic. It would be gracious of you to step-down at the end of the season. Announce your resignation now, effective for the end of the season. Don’t accept any more pay because you obviously didn’t do your “job” last night. If my preformance at my job was as pitiful as your job recently, I would have been terminated. If you care about UGA, please do what’s right for The Dawgs and not yourself. I have supported you through thick and thin, but a monkey could have done your job better than you last night. Also, please take the other two “stooges” with you when you leave and turn off the lights on your way out…
GOD BLESS YOU…
bobdawg
October 7th, 2012
9:45 am
Can we give him a raise so he won’t leave.
Please
shakazulu
October 7th, 2012
9:45 am
McGarity should be on the phone to Charlie Strong.
Honey Boo Boo
October 7th, 2012
9:48 am
Honey BoBo is giving me a bad name.
bobdawg
October 7th, 2012
9:48 am
How about our offensive line play?
bobdawg
October 7th, 2012
9:49 am
Kirby Smart…
so we know we will play defense and learn how to be physical and block.
Cobb Dawg
October 7th, 2012
9:50 am
UGA has become underachiever U. And that won’t change under CMR. Grantham should be packing after this season. With the players we have on D we’re ranked towards the BOTTOM of the SEC?!?!
Jim
October 7th, 2012
9:50 am
CMR Man up and resign. You are PAST your time. Never won a big one. We all had high expectations when you came but you have disappointed the GA NATION too many times.
bobdawg
October 7th, 2012
9:52 am
Looking at ACC on espn, how awful can a conference be?
Genesis
October 7th, 2012
9:52 am
I usually don’t have much to say about the coaching staff,but now I understand the frustration that the Dawg Nation have right now. why is CMR so loyal to Bobo. Talent alone can only take you so far, but talent,creativity and preparation can help you accomplish your goals. These generic offensive schemes have played out and outdated. There is nothing more upsetting when you watch these talented kid’s come into a game that they should win,but can’t because they have Coaches who just simply don’t know how to use their talent. Bobo is to me the Jason Garrett of the SEC of all of college football. I just can’t believe that we have lost SC 3 years in a row,and its not because we don’t have the talent,but that the coaches have decided that nothing is broke and nothing need to be fixed. If by some chance that CMR is fired,it will be because he(Richt) allowed Bobo to continue to call the plays(8 track) in my mind which was good back in the days,but we live in IPod,IPad, and iPhone ( spread and speed offensive)generation. Never thought it would go down like this at least not this year.
USMC
October 7th, 2012
9:53 am
McGarity should be on the phone to Bobby Petrino.
beanster
October 7th, 2012
9:53 am
I just want a coach that isn’t a pansy.I have a ton of respect for CMR, but his teams are soft. End of story.
Cobb Dawg
October 7th, 2012
9:53 am
Something just occurred to me. It’s almost as if their D knew what play we were running almost every snap?
ugagrad'89
October 7th, 2012
9:53 am
I used to care…a lot. Back in 2008 i was at the height of my emotional UGA Football frenzy. I was all in. Screaming at the TV, jumping up and down when we made good plays, etc. Scheduling my life around when the games would be on TV. Then the dawgs got whupped by Alabama on National TV. I was depressed for days. My kids said, ‘Dad,you need to get a life’.
Ever since then, I no longer get emotionally invested. I’m still a diehard fan and I wear my Georgia hat and t-shirts proudly as a graduate. But I no longer believe the hype. I’m happy when we win but now i’m no longer in a funk for days when we lose. I’m no longer suprised by events like what happened last night. I’ve come to expect the things that happened last night.
I agree that Mark Richt needs to go. Great man and certainly a positive role model for kids. But his time has passed. The business of big time college football is now about making money. You cannot be in caught in the middle of winning versus academics/mentorship/role models. If UGA wants to wind 8-9 games a year and play in the outback bowl then CMR is the man for that job.
My two cents on the game last night:
1. Rambo getting beat deep twice
2. Special teams once again
3. Lattimore didn’t beat us, you expect guys like that to get their 100 yrds
4. Conner Shaw is a winner. He’ll never be an NFL quarterback (like Tebow) but will do whatever it takes to win.
5. Georgia lost to a bunch of boys from Ga. What does that tell you about coaching.
beanster
October 7th, 2012
9:54 am
You think Cobb Dawg? But what about all thosr changes we made at the half?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHA! Pitiful….
MRBIGUN
October 7th, 2012
9:54 am
Year before last, when we had CMR on the ropes a bunch of you folks wanted to give him a pass. READ THIS AND COMPREHEND – IF YOU WANT AN 8 WIN A YEAR COACH – CMR IS YOUR MAN. He will never win National Championships even with the best talent in the country, his track record proves it. In the past 10 years we can name years of talent he has pissed away. Until GA Fans get enough and force a change we will suffer, mired in the middle ranks of the SEC…Last year a bunch of you started drinking the CMR koolaid again, CMR is at best a middle tier coach responsible sitting in the middle of some of the best talent in the country…He has no fire and is unable to coach and enforce discipline. EVEN CBS TALKED ABOUT HIS CALM DEMEANOR WHILE SC WAS BEATING HIS BRAINS OUT…CMR – Saying you have a calm demeanor is not a compliment in SEC football! Perhaps CMR would be better suited as a missionary.
1969 Graduate
October 7th, 2012
9:54 am
Could we all chip in and buy Richt a church? In Alaska. And a bus ticket.
As a graduate of UGA and a graduate of MTSU, I’m switching to the team that has a chance to win the National Championship. Georgia under Mr. Richt will never get there.
Go, Blue Raiders!
big bone
October 7th, 2012
9:55 am
well folks it has happened again. I love my beloved Bulldogs but they stank up the place last night. don’t know what it will take to get this program to run with ALA, LSU, and now SC.(looking like FLA may have their way also) so it clearly has to start with the coaches. we get the recruits, get all the hype… hell, we even got one of those cream puff schedules that FLA seems to get every year this season. so WTF? maybe we can lure Lou Holtz here. naw he won’t come. oh well…
kingdaddy
October 7th, 2012
9:55 am
McGarity fix-it or fire yourself. Last night wasn’t a loss. It was an excuse for regime change. Mustang Sally is ready for church, gotta go. Sorry Dawg-Nation, I still support you, but we are not elite at all…
bobdawg
October 7th, 2012
9:55 am
Same old goofy response after the game, smile on his face. Sometimes you would love for him to show some emotion and get fired up. Boy that pep talk on character worked for our D in the 4th quarter when we were losing control of our emotions. Espn was going off on our team. That is a shame and a disgrace.
t2go
October 7th, 2012
9:56 am
Hey Sanders Cummings!! Guess what..THEY ARE 35 PTS BETTER THAN YOU!!! THEY BEAT YOUR A$$! In every area of the game!!! THIS IS THE BULLDOGS PROBLEM AND HAS BEEN FOR A LONG TIME………….They feel entitled!!!! This is so frustrating!! I am becoming sick of Georgia football! I have been a huge fan but these guys that think just because they have more talent that they should just be given a win!!! This isnt a beauty contest! Its a competition! You have to play and play hard! That second play of the game says it all…The Dawgs had the interception…but the gamecocks wanted it more!! I think there are some great young men on this team…much better than the quitters from a few years ago!!! But this is just awful….you know when you see a movie..ANY MOVIE…and its the underdawg that everyone is rooting for against the over privileged or the cocky or super powerful….thats what Georgia is!! The over rated, over celebrated , pretty boys that everyone else loves to beat!!!! I cant root for a team like this!!! A team that is wholely unprepared and lacks heart!!
bobdawg
October 7th, 2012
9:57 am
Bring the bucks and get chip kelly. Put some excitement in Athens with his “modern” college spread.
dewnsav
October 7th, 2012
9:58 am
congrats to the ‘cocks…dominating performance…I have been a staunch Richt/Murray backer, but Richt did not have his team ready and Murray played scared last night…I think it would be in the best interest of the University if a change was made in the near future…there is simply too much talent for this team to get hammered like this…go dogs
DawgPound
October 7th, 2012
9:58 am
@George – Literacy is a goal everyone should strive to achieve. You can make it. Don’t give up just because you ride the short bus.
Kennesaw David
October 7th, 2012
9:59 am
Hey, South Carolina fans, don’t get to excited about this win. You did not beat a very good team. This team has been lackluster all year. You still have some real SEC teams to play this year. Beating this UGA team that seems to just not put forth effort is really not that big a deal. As a Dawg fan, I can hardly watch these guys. It is just a sad spectacle.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 7th, 2012
9:59 am
Im wanting to hear from fans like
Truth?
GT is a 4th rate High School Team,
DawgRx,
aladawg
jp
DawgNation
Brainiac
rhbDAWG1
I especially want to hear from…..
Lobosolo, Truth? and CHRIS
Come on out
LOBOSOLO
Chris you there
How about Truth?
Name (required)
October 7th, 2012
9:59 am
When are you guys going to wake up and realize that Mark Richt is the biggest scam artist in town? He’s playing you guys like a fiddle and laughing all the way to the bank.
NOTE: Please disregard if you are comfortable with mediocrity and do not desire a national championship.